On  6 Jul 96 at 21:28, JMAXRIDE@aol.com wrote:

> Need Help,
> 
> I have an '85 Vanagon and the lifters occasionally stick at start-up.
>  Typically they will free up before you get out of the driveway.  Today,
> however, one stuck and did not free up for several miles.
> 
> I have two questions.  First, can this damage my engine?  And second, is
> there anything I can do to prevent them from sticking?  
My '88 did this almost every day until I switched to synthetic oil 
(Mobil 1 15w50) after which it disappeared almost completely. Only 
time it came back was at about 5500km when it was due for an oil 
change. Fresh oil got rid of the noise again. Can't say it will work 
on all engines, but since I planned to switch to synthetic anyway, it 
was a nice bonus 

Shawn
'88 Westy 332k (Kyra)
'85 Jetta TD 350k (Jenni)